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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786364">I’m quite certain (that I recognize your look)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/pseuds/sarahcakes613'>sarahcakes613</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Law &amp; Order: SVU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural (TV) Fusion, Crossovers &amp; Fandom Fusions, Defense Lawyer Rafael Barba, Dialogue Heavy, M/M, Rafael is vaguely supernatural himself, Rafael knows about the supernatural world, background Cabenson, it's not relevant but it explains how he knows what Dean is</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:15:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,071</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/pseuds/sarahcakes613</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sonny's worried that Cabot is pushing too hard to indict a suspect that might not be guilty, and he asks his husband Rafael to come in and hear the perp's story.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Barisi Professions Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I’m quite certain (that I recognize your look)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Steph thought it would be really awesome to see Rafael as a defense lawyer facing off against ADA Cabot in court. I completely agree, and I look forward to reading it when someone writes it. 😅 In meantime, I did try to put in some Barba + Cabot banter!</p><p>In SPN canon, this takes place while Sam's at Stanford and Dean and John are mostly hunting separately. In SVU canon, let's pretend Sonny joins SVU while Cabot is still ADA and his husband Rafael has always been a defense lawyer.</p><p>If you're not familiar with SPN, you really don't need to know anything other than Dean is a hunter of supernatural and paranormal entities. (see end note for additional spoilery comment.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How was work?” Rafael asks Sonny, who has been staring off into space for a solid five minutes, his fork held limply in his hand.</p><p>“Hm?” Sonny shakes his head, eyes snapping forward. “Sorry, did you say something?”</p><p>Rafael looks closely at his husband. “Are you okay, Sonny? You’ve been quiet since you got home. Is something going on with the squad? Should I be worried?”</p><p>Sonny smiles, that oh-so-sweet smile that he wears when he wants to be reassuring. It works on victims and family members alike, but Rafael can see the worry in it.</p><p>“The squad is fine, it’s just this case we have. Cabot’s pushing for an indictment and the perp’s got this public defender fresh out of law school and I don’t think he’s good for it, but I can’t prove it.”</p><p>Rafael sets his cutlery down and pushes his plate away. “Walk me through it.”</p><p>“We caught him roughing up a streetwalker. Got him dead to rights on that, but it’s a misdemeanour, he had her by the arm and was shaking her around a bit.”</p><p>He scratches at his jaw, and Rafael sees the faint shadow of stubble that he’d missed that morning.</p><p>“It got weird when we tried to book him.”</p><p>“Weird how?”</p><p>“He had half a dozen driver’s licenses, all with different names and none of them with valid serial numbers. Ran his prints and the only hit was a death certificate for a four-year-old. I’ve heard of using a dead kid’s social security number, but you wanna tell me how a man can have a dead kid’s fingerprints? He says that’s him, but he won’t explain why he’s been listed as dead for twenty years, or where he’s been in the meantime.”</p><p>He flexes his hands, splaying his fingers. “He’s not talking much and what he is saying just doesn’t make sense.”</p><p>Rafael is intrigued, but he’s not sure he sees the SVU link. “What’s Alex looking to charge him with?”</p><p>“It’s been kept pretty quiet, but there’s been a string of girls going missing. Four, in the past month or so. They always turn up a few days later with certain organs missing. All we’ve got from witnesses so far is a sketch from the day the second vic went missing, and he does look a bit like our guy, but that’s not a lot to go on, you know?”</p><p>He’s surprised to hear Cabot is pushing so hard on nothing but an eyewitness sketch. Admittedly, the man having multiple identifications and supposedly dead fingerprints is suspicious but it’s a long jump from suspicious to organ removal.</p><p>“Even if it’s his first case, I can’t imagine a public defender not being able to get this laughed out of court.”</p><p>Sonny bites his lip, looking up at Rafael through his eyelashes. Rafael knows that look and he shakes his head.</p><p>“No, no way Sonny, I don’t have time for a charity case.”</p><p>“Would you at least meet him?” Sonny grabs his hand. “Talk to him, see what he has to say. There’s an angle his defender isn’t considering, and maybe you can nudge him toward it.”</p><p>“What angle is that?”</p><p>“Like I said, he isn’t talking much but what he is saying…Raf, I think putting this guy on trial without a psych eval would be gross negligence.”</p><p>Rafael sighs. “And you think his defender should push for an insanity defense.”</p><p>Sonny throws his hands in the air. “I think he should at least be prepared to use it in case Cabot gets her indictment despite the massive lack of physical evidence, corroborating witnesses, or anything else.”</p><p>Something occurs to Rafael.</p><p>“Has he been able to alibi even one of the cases? A case like this, one should be enough to throw doubt on the entire case.”</p><p>Sonny grimaces. “He claims he wasn’t in New York for any of them. He’s got motel and gas station receipts but…”</p><p>“He’s using multiple identifications.” Rafael finishes.</p><p>“Exactly. We’re trying to track down video surveillance, but it’s a slow process. He claims in the past six weeks he’s passed through nine different states.”</p><p>Rafael takes a deep breath and blows it out through his nose. “I’ll talk to him. That’s all, though.”</p><p>Sonny beams at him and grabs his hand again. “Thank you, Rafi.”</p>
<hr/><p>He’s in the room with the perp and public defender for all of ten minutes before he decides he’s taking on the case pro bono. The public defender is all too happy to have such a convoluted case off his shoulders and he shakes Rafael’s hand fervently before hustling out of there.</p><p>Dean Winchester lounges at the metal table, his legs sprawled out in front of him and his shoulders slumped in a casual pose despite the cuffs keeping him stuck in place. He seems remarkably blasé, considering what he could be facing if Cabot’s charges stick.</p><p>“Mr. Winchester,” Rafael sits across from him. “I know you’re innocent, but I also know you have absolutely no way of proving it.”</p><p>Dean shrugs. “I’ve been in worse pickles.”</p><p>“Sometimes, Mr. Winchester, humans are worse than monsters.”</p><p>Dean’s been leaning back in his chair, the front legs up, but now they thump down on the floor and he leans across the table with a growl.</p><p>“What the hell do you know about monsters?”</p><p>“I know my husband thinks you’re crazy and he wants me to convince a judge not to let the trial go forward on that basis.” Rafael leans forward as well, until their noses are almost touching, and his eyes flash white.</p><p>“And I know that he’s wrong.”</p><p>Dean shoots back, skidding his chair until he hits the wall.</p><p>“Fucking witches.” He breathes.</p><p>Rafael smirks. “Would you believe me if I said I only used my power for good?”</p><p>Dean snorts. “Not really, no.”</p><p>“Well, this fucking witch is the one that’s going to try and make all of this go away so you can get back out there and do your job. Some of us really do just want to go about our lives and good hunters keep the balance so we can do just that.”</p><p>The young man’s shoulders drop an almost imperceptible inch as he relaxes just a bit. “Yeah, well. Someone’s gotta do it.”</p><p>Rafael nods thoughtfully. “Tell me about what brought you to New York.”</p><p>Dean purses his lips. “I’m not sure. Whatever it is, it eats livers. Each girl had been injected with a paralytic first, probably through a bite of some kind. My guess is the teeth are needle-like so the bites just blended in with track marks and the coroner wasn’t interested in looking that hard.”</p><p>“Does it feed on a cycle?” Winchester was picked up almost 24 hours ago and SVU has another day before they have to release him.</p><p>“It’s not exact, but about once a week. The last girl was found five days ago.”</p><p>“Which means another girl is likely already missing.” Rafael finishes his thought.</p><p>“Yeah, and I’m stuck in here.” Dean clenches his fists.</p><p>The door opens then, and a statuesque blonde walks in.</p><p>“Rafael, I was surprised to hear you were slumming today.” She holds her hand out.</p><p>He shakes it firmly. “Alex, you know how seriously I take cases of court overreach. Mr. Winchester is being held on evidence so shaky it’s practically registering on the Richter scale. If even one of his gas station receipts leads to video surveillance, you’ve got nothing.”</p><p>“Oh, are we going with Winchester now?” She smiles, but it’s a shark’s smile. “When he was picked up, he said his name was Samuel Dickinson.”</p><p>“So confiscate his fakes and give him a fine.” He looks at the thin file. “You’ve got a woman who won’t press charges for an overly zealous grip and you’ve got a sketch from a witness who hasn’t been sober since Bush Sr. was in the White House. You’ve got nothing.”</p><p>Cabot’s lips are a thin pressed line as she listens to him.</p><p>“What’s going on, Alex?” Rafael throws the file on the table. “It’s not like you to push on so little.”</p><p>“It’s not me,” she admits. “The DA’s taken an interest. One of the dead girls was his wife’s niece.”</p><p>The door opens again and this time it’s Sonny. He looks heavily at Rafael, and then Alex. “We’ve got another body. Warner’s already estimating T.O.D as early this morning.”</p><p>Cabot sighs. “When Mr. Winchester was already in custody.”</p><p>Dean leans back, his hands behind his head. “Like I told you all along, sweetheart.” He says. “It wasn’t me.”</p><p>She shakes her head in disgust. “Don’t look too smug, Mr. Winchester. You’re still on the hook for multiple counts of fraud.”</p><p>“Consolidate them into one charge, time served, and we won’t go after the DA’s office for pursuing false charges.” Rafael says.</p><p>She frowns at him. “He hasn’t served any time.”</p><p>“He’s been held under threat of arrest for almost 24 hours, and most of that with less than adequate legal counsel.”</p><p>Sonny is still in the doorway and he walks in, uncuffing Dean’s hands.</p><p>“So, am I free to go?” He asks, grabbing his jacket off the table.</p><p>“Yes.” Sonny says, at the same time that Cabot and Barba both say “No.”</p><p>“Wow, it’s a real party in here.”</p><p>Another voice enters the fray as a tall man with a military cut strolls into the room. Dean sits up straight, at attention.</p><p>“Howdy, ma’am.” He nods to Alex, and then considers Sonny and Rafael. “I’m John Cooper, with the Bureau’s fraud division. Congratulations, y’all caught yourself someone we’ve been after for credit card fraud for a while now.”</p><p>He gestures to Dean to stand up and turn around as he removes a pair of handcuffs from his belt.</p><p>“Hang on,” Rafael says. “I’m his lawyer.”</p><p>The FBI agent grins at him. “Of course you are. Why don’t you meet us at back at the field office. Only, I don’t have space in my car for all three of us.”</p><p>Dean is angled away from Rafael, but he manages to catch his eye and wink. Rafael tilts his head and looks more closely at the FBI agent, who has a possessive hand resting on the back of Dean’s neck. He arches an eyebrow at Dean, who blushes, his freckles glowing slightly.</p><p>“Fine.” Rafael says shortly. He turns to Alex. “Tell your boss the feds stepped in, he can take it up with them if he wants to be insistent. In the meantime, there’s another victim which means the perp is still out there.”</p><p>Sonny steps forward. “Which reminds me, I probably won’t be home til late.” He smiles apologetically. “Cap’s taking it public, we’re going to be answering a lot of phone calls.”</p><p>He squeezes Rafael’s shoulder and waves to the agent to leave first, Dean in front of him, hands behind his back.</p><p>It’s just Rafael and Cabot in the small room now and he frowns sympathetically. “Buy you a drink?”</p><p>Alex nods and then shakes her head. “Better not. If they’re opening up the phones I should make sure Liv’s got a change of clothes and something to eat.”</p><p>He grins, understanding. “The neverending excitement of being married to a cop, huh.”</p><p>She wrinkles her nose at him. “Don’t try to empathize, Barba. It’s not a good look for a defense lawyer. Next you’ll expect me to think you’ve got a heart.”</p><p>“Nah,” he shakes his head. “Sonny holds onto that for me.”</p><p>She rolls her eyes as they leave the room together. “Alright, fine. I can probably spare time for one drink. But not Forlini’s, I don’t want anyone knowing I’m friends with the enemy.”</p><p>“At least you’re a civil servant, no one expects better from you.” Rafael teases. “If I’m caught, they’ll think I’m plotting something nefarious.”</p><p>“Aren’t you?” She teases back.</p><p>“Only when I’m breathing.” He retorts.</p><p>She veers off to say goodbye to Olivia and he continues downstairs and outside to wait for her there. He sees Dean and the agent getting into a large black truck. He hopes they find what they’re here to find, and he hopes they find it fast. He’d made a call, and he doesn’t regret trusting his secret to the younger man, but it doesn’t mean he’s comfortable knowing there’s a hunter operating in his city. The sooner they’re gone, the better.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For anyone not familiar with SPN, the FBI agent is actually Dean's father, who is also a hunter. A large part of their work involves impersonating government agents to get information, he's not really a Fed.</p><p>Thank you to CxB and Gayle for looking over it and reassuring me that the fusion worked.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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